Door-check



s. BARLOW.

DOOR CHECK.

No. 365,224. Patented June 21, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VARREN S. BARLO\V, OF PATERSON, NE\V JERSEY.

DOOR-CHECK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,224, dated June 21,1887.

Application filed April 13, 1857. Serial No. 231,584. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \VARREN S. BARLOW, of Paterson, in the county ofPassaic and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in DoorOhecks, of which the following is a specification.

Theol'ijcctofmy invention isto provideasimple and inexpensive springdevice which may be applied to a door-casing, and which, by the impactand sliding of the edge of thedoor when closed over a free arm of thespring, will check and soften the closing of the door under theinfluence of the closing-spring which is applied to it.

My improved check consists, essentially, of a piece of spring metal,which is bent so as to form a bow or curve, and two arms extending inapproximately the same direction. Th rough one ofthesc arms the check issecured to a door-casing, and the edge of the door in closing bears uponand deflects the other arm. The arm on which the doorbears may have onits end a projecting and outwardly-turned lip against which thedoorstrikes as it completely closes, and which prevents the end of thespring from ever being caught by the door and being bent backward as thedoor is opened. I provide a knee or bracket having flanges extending atright angles to each other, and whereby the spring may be attached tothe door-casing, one flange ol' the knee or bracket being formed withslots for the reception of screws, whereby the knee or bracket issocured to the casing, and the other flange being formed with a slot forthe reception of a bolt, whereby the arm of the spring is secured to theknee or bracket. The slots in the knee or bracket provide both for theadjustment of the springlatcrally, so that the door in closing will bearupon it with more or less force, and for the adjustment of the springinward and outward from the casing in a plane at right angles to theplane of the door, so as to adapt the device for doors of difl'crentthicknesses, and so that the lip upon the free arm of the spring will bebrought to the proper position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a horizontal section ol'aportion of a door-casing and door, showing my check as applied theretoand the door as having just come to a bearing upon the check in the actof closing. Fig. 2 is a corresponding view showing the door as fullyclosed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the door check; and Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a slight modification of myinvention.

Similar letters of reference designate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

A designates a portion of the casing, and B designates a portion of thedoor which closes into the casing. The bent spring 0, which constitutesthe essential element of my doorcheck, may be of steel or brass, of thedesired width, and comprises a bow or curve, 0, and arms 0 0 Through thearm 0 the spring is attached to the door-casing A, said arm being inFigs. 1, 2, and 3 secured to the inner flange of a knee or bracket, D,and the other flange of this knee or bracket is secured by screws to thedoor-casing A. \Vhen secured in place, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thearm c of the spring projects somewhat in the path of the door B, so thatthe edge of the door in closing bears against the arm 0, and is retardedor checked by the resistance which the springarm offers to lateraldeflection. \Vhen the door is fully closed the spring arm 0 lies betweenthe edge of the door and the casing A, as is shown in Fig. 2.

To vary the strength of the door-check, so that it will offer more orless resistance to the closing of the door, as may be desired, I haverepresented the knee or bracket 1) as pro vided in one ilangc or memberwith slots (1,- which receive screws, whereby the knee or bracket issecured to the door-casing, and which provide for the adjustment of theknee or bracket laterally toward and from the edge of the door-casing,so that the arm 0 of the spring will be obtrudcd more or less in the wayof the door, and its effect in checking thedoor will be more or lessincreased or diminished.

I have shown the arm a as terminating in a lip, 0, against which thedoor bears when it comes to a closed position, and this lip prevents theedge of the door from catching on the end of the spring-arm c andbending it backward when the door is opened, as it might otherwise do.\Vhcn the spring is provided with a lip, c, it is necessary to adjust itto suit different depths of casings and different thickncsses of doors.I have shown the arm 0 of the spring as secured by a bolt, 0, to theknee or bracket D; and, as best shown in Fig. 3, the

knee or bracket has in it a slot, (1, which receives this bolt, andwhich provides for the adjustment of the arm inward and outward from theplane of the casing, so as to bring the lip a into a position suited tothe thickness of door and the depth of easing. I have shown the knee orbracket D as recessed or channeled upon its outer face, or as providedwith lips or flanges e,receiving between them the springarm as shown inFig. 3, and I have shown this flange of the knee or bracket as havingupon its inner face ribs cl, between which is received the nut 0 uponthe bolt 6. Convenience is thus afforded for readily assembling theparts of the device and providing for the ready adjustment of thespring;

The modified form of door'check shown in Fig. 4 is somewhat simpler thanthat before described. In this case the spring 0 also consists of a bowor curve, 0, and arms 0 0 but the arm 0 is held to the casing by meansof a clamp, D, beneath which it is introduced, and which may be securedby screws cl" to the easing. The arm 0 may be adjusted beneath the clampD, so that the operating'arm cTof the spring will be obtruded to thedesired extent in the path of the door.

It will be observed that myimproved check has a duplex action, asI termit-that is to say, the spring-arm 0 acts as a brake upon the door byreason of the resistance which it offers to lateral deflection until thedoor strikes against the lip c, and it then offers a further resistanceby the pulling action which the door exerts through the lip c" and uponthe bow or curve 0. the casing, and the spring may be adj ustcd upon thebracketso as tosuit the strength of the closing-spring which is appliedto the door, and to permit the door to wholly close into the rabbet inthe casing, or to hold it very slightly ajar or in an unlatchedcondition, so as to prevent its slamming the door against the rabbet.Not only does the check serve to prevent slamming of the door whenclosed, but it also holds the door in an approximately-closed condition,whether latched or not, and prevents any shaking or rattling of the doorin any direction, thereby saving the latches or looks and the hinges,and thereby avoiding the breaking of the glass in case it be applied toa glazed door.

Ihave here represented the check as applied The bracketD may be adjustedupon to the side of the door and easing; but it might,

if desired, be applied to the top thereof. I

now deem its application to the side, however,

more advantageous, because it then exerts no downward pressure upon thedoor.

I am aware of patent to Saunders,No. 347, 587,

dated August 17, 1886, and I do not claim as of my invention anythingshownor described therein. In that patent there is employed a springcomposed of a coil and-two arms projecting in the same direction; butthis spring through one arm is secured to a door-casing so that it liesin a horizontal plane with its arms parallel approximately with the faceof the casing and the closed door, and when the door is closed a tappetor toe uponthe face of the door comes against this spring. According to.my invention the spring is so arranged that its arm 0 receives thesliding impact of the edge of the door, and after the door is closedthat arm lies between the recess in the jamb and the edge of the door.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letterslatent, is

1. The doorcheek herein described, consisting of a bent spring havingthe bow or curve 0 and the arms 0 0 by the former of which the check issupported from the door-casing and on the latter of which the edge ofthe door bears in closing, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The door-check herein described, consisting of a bent spring having abow or curve, 0, and arms cc", thelatter arm, c,being provided with anoutwardly-turned lip, at the end, and a bracket with which the arm a hasa sliding connection in the direct-ion of its length and which is to besecured to the doorcasing, so that in closing theedgeof the doorwillbear on and remain against the arm 0 and shoulder c, substantiallyas herein set forth.

3. The combination, with thek nee or bracket D, having in one flange theslots 11, for securingscrews, and having in the other flange the slot(1, of the bent spring having the bow or curve 0 and the arms 0' c, thearm 0 being secured to the bracket by a bolt, 6, and the other armserving to receive contact of the door, substan tially as hereindescribed.

\VARREN S. BARLOlV.

Witnesses:

MINERT LINDEMAN, FREDK. HAYNEs.

